Gatien Leray, viola

Violist Gatien Leray is an artist of remarkable sensitivity, endowed with a natural ability to forge an emotional bond with his audience. Passionate about both solo and chamber repertoire, he has broadened his experience with Tabea Zimmermann, Lawrence Power, Nobuko Imai, Antoine Tamestit, Jean Sulem, Isabel Charisius, Alexander Gordon and Hartmut Rohde, notably through academies such as Villecroze, Chigiana and Stauffer. He has been invited to festivals including Un Été en France, the Festival International de Colmar, the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, the Rencontres Musicales d’Évian, the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, the Festival Pablo Casals, Incontri in Terra di Siena and the Festival de Pâques, sharing the stage with renowned musicians such as Renaud Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon, Gérard Caussé, Clemens Hagen and Daishin Kashimoto, in venues including Victoria Hall in Geneva, Rosey Concert Hall in Rolle, La Grange au Lac in Évian and the Abbaye de Saint-Michel de Cuxa in Codalet.

In chamber music, Gatien draws inspiration from Miguel da Silva, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Valentin Erben and Bruno Giuranna. As principal viola of the Haute École de Musique de Genève (HEM) orchestra, he has performed under distinguished conductors such as Péter Eötvös, Heinz Hollinger, Pierre Bleuse and Markus Stenz. During the flute–chamber music semifinal of the 77th Concours de Genève, he performed Chant de Linos by André Jolivet. In the 2026 season, he joins the international Musethica program, founded by violist Avri Levitan, committing alongside fellow musicians to perform in more than thirteen countries, including Germany, Spain, Norway and Sweden, for audiences who generally have no access to classical music.

Gatien is currently completing the Diplôme d’Artiste Interprète at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, studying with Françoise Gnéri and Jean Sulem.

He began studying viola at the age of seven in France, at the Conservatoire de Thionville. At seventeen, after earning a baccalauréat in economic and social sciences, he entered the class of Miguel da Silva at the Haute École de Musique de Genève, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 2022. He was also admitted to the International Menuhin Music Academy (IMMA) in Rolle, continuing his training at both institutions. He studied for two years with Gérard Caussé and Ivan Vukčević, and performed with the Solistes de la Menuhin in Switzerland and Italy. In 2024, he earned the Master en Interprétation Musicale Spécialisée Soliste at HEM with the highest distinction for each of his three master recitals, receiving the special Albert Lullin Prize.

Gatien was a semifinalist of the Oskar Nedbal International Viola Competition in Prague and is a laureate of the Hirschmann Stiftung, the Rahn Kulturfonds, the Fondation Gautier Capuçon and the Fondation Safran. He performs on a viola by Virginie Pezet Berton (2017) with a bow by Georges Tepho (2021).

As of September 2025, he continues his development as an Artist in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, under the guidance of Miguel da Silva.

Last updated: 5 December 2025